My research analyzes the political role of the armed forces in contemporary Latin America, particularly efforts to establish and institutionalize more democratic civil-military relations. I am currently working on an ongoing project which focuses on changing relationships between the armed forces and society in three areas: shifts in the social bases of officer recruitment stemming from declines in the status and salaries for officers; the expansion of non-military missions of the armed forces; and changes in societal images of the armed forces. To date this work has focused on South America, especially Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Ecuador.